From the Depths of the Company
by a happy bibliophile
Summary: Hoping what Volume 3: Villains, would be like. Spoilers up to end of Season 2 Finale, Powerless. Chapter 6.1 is finally up. Sorry for the long wait. Nathan has wound up in the future. Angela has a proposal to make. Nana Dawson isn't too happy with Bob.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone! This is just something I hope the next Volume of Heroes, titled Villains, would be about. So, of course, spoilers up to the Season 2 finale.

Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes. I believe that right belongs to Tim Kring and NBC Universal. Not even the theories here are mine. Nothing belongs to me except my imagination and indignation at the fact that Nathan might be the one to bite the bullet. No money is being made off of this. If there is money being made off of it… That would suck.

And here it is:

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"I have the ability to -"

Bang! Bang! The two bullets cut Nathan short. He staggered back, limbs weakening until he collapsed against Peter.

"Nathan! Nathan, no…" Peter held him, trying to make sure his brother stayed conscious but he was slipping.

"Peter… I - " Nathan's breath hitched. It was getting harder for him to breathe.

Peter felt himself starting to panic. People were screaming and shouting for the exit. Where was help when -

Two paramedics pushed through the crowd with a gurney. One of them checked for Nathan's pulse while the other convinced Peter to get let go of Nathan. They loaded him up on the ambulance, leaving Peter behind, feeling numb.

Something wasn't right. Shouldn't he have gone with Nathan? Someone tapped his shoulder - Detective Parkman. "The paramedics are here… where's Nathan?"

"What are you talking about? They just took him to the hospital," Peter whirled around and faced the two paramedics. They looked exactly like the two that had taken Nathan.

"We just got the call," one of them said, looking around with a confused expression.

"Sorry we're a bit late," said the other. "There was a bit of a jam getting in here. Some guy wouldn't move their van….Where's the victim?"

Peter felt his blood run cold. "This isn't right. You two just took him…" The paramedics shook their head and turning to the other officers in the station to make sure no one else was hurt. Peter turned and looked at Matt. "You don't think …"

Matt shrugged. "I wouldn't put it past them."

It was all Peter needed. He and Matt ducked down behind the podium. He placed a hand on Matt's shoulder and teleported them back inside the Company vault.

Peter's head throbbed. _What's going on? _He searched around the room… it was the right room. He knew it. The only problem was that there was nothing in there that he recognized from the last time he was in there - no brain, no cards, no key, no dagger - nothing but stacks and stacks of paper. He searched and searched and then - _what was that?_

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Matt glanced around the room skeptically. He tried the door (locked), which looked like an ordinary door and not at all like that heavy metal door with the complex locking system.

Peter floated up to the ventilator, seeing the red light flash again. He pried the screen loose. "This is the right room." He pointed out the security camera to Matt. "And it looks like someone expected us." Peter picked up the note that sat next to the camera.

---

Mohinder walked through the streets, throwing a paranoid glance over his shoulder every now and then before continuing on his way until he reached the Company building near Kirby Plaza. It took him a few moments to locate him, but eventually Mohinder caught up with Bob, who looked extremely agitated. "Bob, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"As do I," Bob nodded, leading Mohinder towards his office, "but first, have you seen Elle?" He began searching through the boxes that lined the wall.

Mohinder stepped through the doorway, the previous door having just been replaced a few hours ago. "Yes, she's with Molly and Maya right now. If it weren't for her, Sylar would have killed us."

"Sylar?!" Bob fumbled and dropped a few boxes. "Oh, God help us all. If there weren't enough bad news today."

"What's going on?" Mohinder asked, bending over to help Bob with the boxes. He read the label on one of them. "Who's Cameron Schaffer?"

"One of our many problems," Bob snatched the box back from Mohinder. "What's this about Sylar?"

"He found me - us - at my apartment. Your daughter tried to stop him from killing us, but he got away. He…took the box with the vial of the cure with him," Mohinder finished lamely.

Bob looked ready to tear out what remained of the hair on his head. "Why didn't you go after him?"

"Elle went after him, but he disappeared."

Bob shook his head in disappointment. He wanted to shout a hundred different things, but in the end he said, "Nevermind then. There's still some of Claire's blood left a few floors down. Try to get the cure to Niki in time."

Mohinder nodded meekly enough and left, closing the door behind him.

He didn't mind that Adam and Peter had broken into the vault and destroyed the virus. Truth be told, he was glad they had. He just wished they'd remembered to close the door behind them. Now the key, his key - the first key he'd ever turned to gold - the key they'd used to lock away those that were dangerous for everyone and everything under the sun, was stolen. The key had turned the lock they were never meant to turn again.

Bob exhaled a sigh of frustration, collapsing onto his chair. He booted up his computer, typing in the password and reviewed the security tapes, taking note of the name of every escaped powered individual the Company had locked up over the years and grabbed their box of information from the wall.

---

Hiro finished up at his desk, logging off his computer. He packed up his bag and got ready to go home.

"Finished for the day?" Ando asked as Hiro walked past his cubicle.

"Yes," Hiro said. "You?"

"I am now," Ando grinned while logging off and grabbing his jacket.

"Where do you two think you're going?"

Ando gulped. "Hello, Kimiko! We finished early."

Kimiko shook her head. "I'll let you slide this time - " Ando grinned at her suggestively "- only because I need you to help remind my brother to get some eel for dinner and make sure he doesn't get cheated. Again."

Hiro flushed red in embarrassment. "It was only a few yen."

"5, 000 yen is not 'a few yen.'"

"She's right, Hiro," Ando nodded sagely.

"Get going before all the good ones are gone," Kimiko sighed.

Half an hour's worth of haggling later, Hiro bid Ando goodbye as they parted from the markets. Hiro, with the eel wrapped in a brown paper bag, walked by the cemetery where he had his father and Takezo Kensei - Adam Monroe - buried. He wondered if Adam had run out of air to breathe yet.

He made his way over to his father's grave, bowing to it with the eel. After a few moments of silence, he said, "I miss you already."

He turned to check the unmarked grave a few feet away and dropped the eel. "No."

The grave that had contained Adam had been dug up and the coffin was empty.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Heroes. It belongs to Tim Kring...and I guess NBC, too.

A/N: So, I'm back...and this one's a bit longer than the last one. I apologize if the quality's not so great, and thanks to MigetX, Guard of the Heradi, and TJtrack99 for the encouraging words. Here's to hoping I didn't screw up.

On with it:

---

Mohinder packed a small case with the syringe and two vials of the antibody and healing blood mixture. He'd wanted another vial, but the technician had said the remaining blood was to be studied. _It won't be wasted this time_, he promised silently. _I hope I'm not too late. _

At that thought, Mohinder chuckled wryly. _As if that was the least of my problems. _Mohinder thought about Molly, who was staying under Maya and Elle's care and couldn't help a small smile. _It must be different to have two women look after her for a change. At least if Sylar came back, Elle would be able to handle him._

He made it as far as the end of the hallway when he ran into Bob.

"Dr. Suresh! I was afraid I had missed you," Bob said.

"My flight leaves in half an hour," Mohinder said, eyeing the briefcase in Bob's hand with interest. "I'm rather pressed for time."

"Very well then, I'm going with you," Bob said, walking out the facility's exit with Mohinder. "It seems that Niki is staying with family, with whom I need to speak. I have another assignment I want to brief you on as well."

Mohinder didn't see that he had much of a choice, so he nodded as a taxi came to pick them up.

---

Peter reread the letter again.

_We have your brother and he will be kept alive. However, his continued existence and well-being will depend on your cooperation. Meet our contact at noon tomorrow in the Primatech Paper Co.…_

It was unreal. He raised a fist and -

"Hey! Watch what you're doing! This is a rental. I don't want to have to explain why the car door blew off its hinges from the inside!" Matt snapped. Matt swallowed and calmed himself down. He was sitting in a car in the Primatech Paper Co. parking lot and he didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time he tried to expose the Company and he certainly didn't want Peter blowing up on him. "Anyways, it's almost time."

"Yeah…I should probably get going," Peter said, opening the car door.

"Let me know if you're in trouble," Matt said.

Peter nodded and stepped out, shutting the car door behind him. Looking at the mundane group of buildings, he couldn't help but shudder at how an ordinary looking company could hold such dark secrets. This was the last place he'd expect any secret organization to station themselves. He made his way across the parking lot towards one of the buildings.

After his first step into what appeared to be the administrative building, he half-expected guns to start blazing or a total lockdown. Instead, a plump little secretary greeted him warmly from behind her desk and directed him down the hall to an office, where he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice said from the other side. Peter thought it sounded familiar. He turned the doorknob and entered. Peter stared at the man before him in shock.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Petrelli," Noah Bennet said. "Would you do us a favor and please close the door?"

Peter was vaguely aware of his hand brushing against the door and pushing it closed behind him. _What was going on?_

"Have a seat, Peter," Mr. Bennet motioned at the chair in front of Peter, usually reserved for potential customers of the Primatech Paper Co. services.

Peter sat down, his mind still reeling. He'd trusted this man - trusted him to keep him from wiping out New York. "What's going on?"

Mr. Bennet - Noah - dropped his "friendly paper salesman" act and gave Peter an intense glare. Peter only stared back. Noah sighed, "As you probably know from the note left for you, we have your brother."

"And I want to know where he is," Peter said harshly. He threw the note down on the desk between them. "What's that supposed to mean? I trusted you!"

"Now hold on a second, Peter. I'm not the one making the decisions here. That's left for the higher-ups," Noah raised his hands to placate Peter. "The Company needs your help, Peter. As long as you do what they want, Nathan will be alright."

"No," Peter said.

"If you refuse, they might just let Nathan have a little _accident_," Noah pressed on. He saw Peter's resolute mask falter a bit before a stoic look replaced it. Noah decided to try a different tactic. "Right now, all immediate actions are in my hands - so long as we deliver what they want. You're lucky that I'm the one they sent. If it were anyone else, they'd be threatening your brother's family. Nathan wouldn't be too happy about that, would he?"

A flash of panic crossed Peter's face, but he wasn't willing to give in. "How do I even know if you've really got him?"

Noah swiveled his monitor around. On the screen, Peter saw Nathan lying asleep in a hospital bed with a guard in the room. Noah dialed a number on the phone on his desk. On the monitor, a phone rang and the guard picked it up. "Mac, how about wave to the camera? I have Nathan's brother here," Noah said into the phone. Peter watched as the guard, Mac, waved up at him before replacing the phone on its cradle.

"What's to stop me from rushing in there?" Peter challenged.

"What's to keep them from just killing Nathan?" Noah replied. "Mac's not there to keep Nathan from escaping. Do you really think you can do your trick before he pulls the trigger?"

Peter paused for a moment. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered.

---

Hiro teleported into Ando's apartment.

"Argh!" Ando yelped, dropping his (thankfully unopened) cup ramen. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Hiro said, looking chastised for two seconds before his eyes widened with fear and anxiety again. "Ando! I have bad news! Kensei's gone!"

"What do you mean 'gone'? Isn't that good?" Ando said, picking up the ramen and stepping around Hiro to retrieve the boiling water.

"No! It's _**very bad**_," Hiro said. "I went by the cemetery. His grave is empty. I don't know where he went!"

"What are you so worried about? It's not like there's another virus he wants to release. The only thing left he probably wants is revenge…," Ando's mind flashed back on his encounter with Sylar and he gulped. "What are you going to do?" 

"Find help!" Hiro put a hand on Ando's shoulder and before Ando could protest, they vanished….

…and reappeared in a very expensive looking room.

A woman screamed. Two little boys ran in. "Mom? Who are they?" The younger one asked.

Hiro blinked. Did he come to the wrong place? He saw a photo on the mantle. This should be the right place. There was a picture of him there.

Ando looked sheepish, still holding the steaming kettle in one hand. "Ah," he began. "My friend and I are very sorry. We thought …" Ando trailed off. In Japanese he asked, "Hiro! What are we doing here?"

Hiro spoke up. "Ah, where is Fly- Ah, Nathan Petrelli?"

"Nathan?" The woman's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with him? Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"I'm Hiro," Hiro said. "Hiro Nakamura and he -" Hiro motioned to Ando "- is my friend, Ando. We teleport here from Japan." Both Hiro and Ando gave her matching nervous smiles.

The woman's looked at them warily. "Boys, go to your room." The two boys looked ready to protest, but she stopped them with a glare and they complied. Turning back to the two Japanese men, she said skeptically, "Teleport. Like how my husband can fly?"

Hiro looked at her brightly. "Yes! Yes, he's Flying Man! Whoosh!" He zoomed his hand up diagonally.

The look on her face told him that was probably not the right thing to say.

---

Breathing.

How could something he'd done since he was born hurt and make him so tired? Nathan took a deeper breath, coughed and stayed still again, trying to keep his head from spinning and throwing up. After getting his breathing under control again, he willed his eyes to open.

In the blinding white of what might be the hospital walls, images of someone moving, machines that helped him stay alive, a chair, a plant, and an odd picture that looked like it might have been drawn by a child swam to and fro. He blinked a few times before his vision cleared. He almost wished it hadn't.

Anger and hatred lent him the strength. Still, it took him a few seconds to work up enough saliva to weakly say, "You."

"Nice to see you awake, Mr. Petrelli," Mr. Bennet greeted him, the smile didn't quite reaching his eyes. He helped Nathan drink some water from a cup. "One more second and you would have undone thirty years of hard work and secrecy… I wish the sniper would have given you that second." The smile took on a sinister look. "I can imagine that you'd like nothing more than to make good your promise to me."

Nathan took a shuddering breath. "More than ever… What do you want from me?"

"Me? To tell you the truth, I want nothing to do with you," Mr. Bennet began. "But, if I'm going to be able to protect my own family, I need to do my job. For now, that means finishing what I started in Vegas…and then some," Mr. Bennet held up a syringe full of thick, red liquid - blood? - and injected it into the IV bag. "I suggest you get some rest, Mr. Petrelli. Tomorrow is going to be a long, long day for you."

Against Nathan's will, his eyes closed.

---

Mr. Bennet sighed. Talking with Peter earlier was … frustrating to say the least. Peter had abilities and didn't even use them properly. He'd been trying to get Peter to communicate with him via telepathy, but Peter hadn't taken his hint. He would've been able to help Peter through the situation - explain things to Peter that he couldn't say out loud.

He had wanted to fake accidentally spilling Claire's healing blood, but he knew that would mean he or another Company operative would have to go back to his family again to get more. He was thankful that he did not have an ability, especially once the Company had their way and began running their tests and experiments.

He went back to his computer and pulled up the files Bob had sent him.

---

Sylar grinned at the empty can of spinach before tossing it aside. _So…it was some Company who rescued me …and it was because of that Company that I lost my powers. Oh yes, someone was going to pay. _

_Someone always has to pay. _

Sylar took a deep breath and got up, stretching his limbs. First, though, he needed a shower and a change of clothes.

---

Adam awoke to the darkness of the cell. _Where was he?_ He moved his arms and discovered that they were chained to the wall behind him.

"Oh, good! You're up," said a chipper voice. "We hoped that the lack of oxygen in your brain would not have severely damaged your ability to regenerate, but now that I know you're fine…"

CRACK!

"OW!" Adam spat out the teeth that had been knocked loose and felt new ones replace them.

"The boss does want his revenge."

Adam had a very bad feeling about this.

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A/N 2: Hope that was alright. Usually the first part of anything that I write is okay, but the second part and anything afterwards is plain and utter trash. Also, I'm trying to keep the number of major Original Characters to a minimum because I don't really like OCs and I'm terrible at making names.

I did my best to proofread this, but I'm human and humans are prone to making mistakes. If there's any grammatical, spelling, or logic mistakes, let me know so I can edit or learn from it.

Also, if you like what you're reading, you might want to use the alert thingy, as my updating is VERY unreliable.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Heroes belongs to Tim Kring and NBC, not me.

A/N: Time: 1:49 pm. Date: Sunday, December 16, 2007

I have just seen the would-be trailer for Villains and I have to say - Oh Chheeeeese!!!! That was Frikkin AWESOME! And! I'm not that far off in my main theory. : )

So, I've decided to write another really short part to post ASAP. There's only Mohinder and Bob in it, though…and a few other characters I haven't written for, yet…so. Enjoy!

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"You're joking," Mohinder spluttered as he and Bob got out of the cab in New Orleans. "How could you loose nearly half of your field operatives to only TWELVE individuals?!"

"Dr. Suresh, please calm down," Bob sighed approaching the house with Mohinder following him. "Your panic will not make things better."

"And asking Monica and Niki to help recapture them will?" Mohinder rambled on. "This isn't their problem. If experienced operatives died so easily, what chance do they have?"

"Sooner or later, it will become their problem. You've seen our facility. We can train them," Bob's voice rose higher and higher until he forced himself to cool it. "We need all the help we can get. Yours included. That's why we needed the Shanti virus."

"Boys!" The sharp shout of the elderly woman at the door cut through their argument. "Those matters should not be discussed where anyone can hear."

"I'm sorry, Nana," Bob apologized. "It's just that things at the Company have taken a turn for the worse. We need … I need help."

Mohinder looked at Bob, jaw hanging. He'd thought all along that Bob would have been able to handle everything just fine, but it looks like he was wrong. _And who was this woman? She looks oddly familiar. _He quickly shut his mouth and cleared his throat. "Miss? Ah…is Niki here? I have something that will help with her virus."

"You missed her by a few hours," Nana Dawson replied. "Come inside before the wrong people hear the wrong things." She opened the door and stepped aside for the two men to enter and led them into the kitchen.

"Nana, I'd like you to meet Dr. Suresh, son of Chandra Suresh. He's been helping the research section of our facility," Bob began. "Dr. Suresh, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine and a former member of the Company, Nana Dawson…"

Mohinder shook Nana's hand. _Ah…so she's part of the Company…like in the picture Matt had gotten from Nathan Petrelli._ An awkward silence began to fill the air.

The sound of car doors slamming broke it a few seconds later.

"Nana! We're back." Mohinder recognized Monica's voice. A moment later, the door opened and slammed shut and a little boy ran upstairs.

"Micah! Show some manners! I expect that type of behavior from your cousin, but I know you can do better," Nana admonished.

The door opened and Monica walked in looking downcast. "It's alright, Nana. It's...Niki's …she's dead. It took a while for the firemen to put out the fire and then the building collapsed and by the time they got in… There were just ashes left." She sat down heavily at the kitchen table and started crying.

Mohinder felt like something had punched him in the gut. _Too late…_ He was too late.

---

A/N2: So…. Yeah… just to celebrate a little. Hope everyone had a good weekend and enjoyed this unexpected installment! Oh! And thanks to Musica Diabolos for the review. : )

Since it's Christmas Vacation… Hopefully I can wrap this up in a couple more chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Heroes is not mne. It belongs to Tim Kring and NBC.

A/N: Here's part 4. Thanks to BG of 9thwonders for beta-reading. Hope you guys enjoy.

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"How do I know I have her abilities?" Peter stared at the map doubtfully, fiddling with the pin in his hand.

"You don't," Mr. Bennet said. The last they had heard, one of the twelve were headed for Southern California. He decided he might as well go check in on his family. Sandra had gone out to get some more milk and they were currently sitting in his home at the dinner table. He took out a file and showed Peter the picture. "Focus on her and let your ability do the rest."

The picture was of a middle-aged woman, smiling up at Peter. "She looks harmless."

"You've never met her before," Mr. Bennet said. "She might be on the move." He hoped Peter had managed to absorb Molly's ability. He wasn't sure if Peter had, but he wasn't about to tell him that. He nearly sighed in relief as he recognized the jerking, but purposeful way Peter moved his hand, much like what he saw Molly did when they were looking for Syalr. Finally the pin landed.

"Got her," Peter said, his face pale. "I saw her…and I think she saw me. Is that normal?"

"No," Mr. Bennet picked up the map and froze.

Peter waited for Mr. Bennet to elaborate, but seconds ticked by. "You okay?"

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Mr. Bennet asked him, his voice taking on an ambiguous tone.

Peter looked at the map. "Yeah, Costa Verde High School. Why?"

"This is Claire's high school."

---

The silence stretched. Each ticking of the grandfather clock from somewhere in the Petrelli mansion echoed loudly.

Hiro fidgeted uncomfortably and looked to Ando for help, but Ando only shook his head.

"So my husband isn't crazy," Heidi finally said. "He can fly. The one time he tells me the truth."

"Your husband," he trailed off, trying to put his question together. "He… not here?"

Heidi shrugged. "Last I heard, he was shot in Odessa, Texas," she swallowed a lump in her throat. "He's gone missing. Tell me, Hiro was it? Tell me that this is all a dream."

Hiro blinked a few times to let the news sink in and then swallowed to try to answer. "This is no dream."

"Hiro," Ando tried to warn him. He may not have a way with women, but he did have some common sense.

"No. No lies. This is no dream, but," Hiro hesitated as he saw her tears drop to the floor, "I promise, I will find your husband and bring him back."

Heidi nodded thankfully, rubbing her eyes with the palm of her hands. Her breath caught for a second and she said, "Thank you."

Hiro placed a hand on Ando's shoulder and teleported out of the Petrelli Mansion.

"Whoa."

Heidi turned to the doorway and saw her two young boys giddily gaping wide-eyed at the empty spot where the two strangers had previously occupied.

"Uncle Peter wasn't lying!"

---

Adam lifted his head up from his chest. This was getting old real fast - too much like Prometheus's punishment, except without the bird eating his liver part.

He couldn't see his tormenter, Moldy someone had called him, and each time he felt Moldy speaking right next to his ear, he'd tried swatting the man, but the hit landed on nothing though he could feel a presence by his shoulder.

Moldy… it sounded familiar….darn the passage of time. Being alive for so long meant that he had to either forget a few things or it took longer to remember other things and then -

Adam felt like heaving.

No. They couldn't have, but if they were… Adam didn't want to think about it and yet, if he didn't he might not be able to talk his way out. And so his mind picked up the dusty pieces and finally remembered Moldy as the nobody. All he could do was change his size and shape - always attaching himself to big friends who could prot-

Oh boy was he screwed.

Suddenly, the light bulb flickered and flashed on and his thoughts were confirmed. Though there was no way he was going to talk himself out of this one, he still held hope - even with Cameron Schaffer smiling his toothy grin down at him.

"Thirty years, Adam Monroe," Schaffer said, squatting down in front of Adam. "Thirty long years. Must be like 3 seconds to you. I'd very much like cut off that skull of yours, add a dash of alcohol and set your brain on fire, but you were the reason my friends and I were freed. For now, I'd like you to sit here and watch what you helped make possible."

Moldy brought in a TV that held what looked like a live footage. How they managed that without any wires was beyond him. The TV screen flickered on and his hope was dashed.

Peter Petrelli was in for a very big surprise.

---

Molly watched Elle try to scratch at the bandage around her arm. "Mohinder says that scratching a wound makes it worse."

Elle's face burned. She wanted to tell the kid off, but … she was just a kid…with an annoyingly good point. That and the car ride back to Mohinder's apartment for some odd reason kicked in a protective feeling for Molly. She settled for making a face.

Keys jingled and one jammed into the keyhole. Maya froze, looking up from Mohinder's computer.

The door opened and Molly ran to give Matt her version of the flying bear hug. "You're home!"

Matt smiled, returning the hug. "Of course! What'd you think was gonna happen? I meet a pretty lady and not come home for a while?"

Elle cleared her throat and Maya looked like she was ready to bolt.

Matt looked up and noticed the two women. "Did Mohinder really want two babysitters for you?"

"You won't believe what happened," Molly said seriously. "Sylar's back and then Elle saved us!"

Elle felt that rush of … bubbly foreign feeling again and was still trying to get used to it. "Yeah, but he got away."

"I told you already. I could find him," Molly pressed on.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Matt backtracked. "Sylar's back? How?"

"It was all my fault," Maya said and began gushing about how she had met Gabriel Gray and how he had actually helped her control her abilities…and then how he'd killed Alejandro and herself and how Mohinder had helped bring her back. "Please! I thought he was a good person."

Elle felt an unexpected pang of jealousy as Molly went to comfort Maya.

Matt took a deep breath and sighed. _I don't even know what to do anymore_. "We need to someone about this."

"Lucky for you, I have the Company's resources available to me," Elle offered. She saw a roach skitter by and zapped it with her electricity. "Bugs are the best for target practice."

Matt suppressed a shudder while his mind belatedly caught up, "Wait, the Company. As in, Robert Bishop head of the Company that abducts people with special abilities?"

Elle looked at him contemptuously. "You're kinda slow, aren't you?"

"I can help you find Sylar," Molly said before Matt could reply to the insult.

"No, Molly. We've been through this before," Matt didn't want a repeat of what had happened with this father, but a tiny part of him did – he crushed that thought in an instant.

"Why not? She's a big kid and we could use her help," Elle said, her voice somewhere between bored and whiny. Matt pretended to ignore her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"She was in a coma," Matt said quietly. He briefly explained what had occurred between himself and his father.

Elle rolled her eyes. "Sylar's not your dad."

"Please! Stop fighting!" Maya shouted. She gestured at Molly, who already had the pin in her hand and was flipping through the pages of New York. Finally, the pin stopped moving and plunged into a page.

"Elle grinned. "I think I like this kid." She picked up the map while Matt satisfied himself that Molly was alright.

"C'mon, Parkman, let's go to Queens."

---

"Dr. Suresh," Bob motioned Mohinder over away from Monica and Nana. "Go find Niki's ashes. See if the cure could still bring her back."

Mohinder shook his head. "I don't think it would be possible. It's not like I can marinade a bone shared or a speck of ash and hope it grows!"

"It's worth a shot," Bob said firmly. "Take Monica with you. Tell her that you want to make sure the virus Niki carried isn't a danger to anyone else."

Mohinder glared at Bob coolly, weighing the options before saying, "Fine." He tapped Monica on the shoulder and did as Bob asked.

Once the sound of the car engine died away in the distance, Bob sagged into the kitchen chair Monica had vacated.

"Chai tea?" Nana offered, holding up a teapot.

"Please," Bob nodded and Nana filled up a mug for him. He took a sip and said, "I think I like Mohinder's brew better." Nana made as if to swat him and Bob immediately put up his hands in surrender. "I'm just kidding…but seriously, you should try his." Bob grinned and took another sip.

"So what mess have you gotten into now, Bob?" Nana asked him.

"The twelve are loose," bob said simply. "We lost nearly half our operatives when they broke out. Then there's Peter and Nathan Petrelli. Nathan nearly exposed the company and Peter, with his abilities, has the potential to do a lot of damage to us, to himself, and everyone around him. They're loose canons – the both of them."

"Arthur and Angela's boys? I've seen them when they were children. They seemed harmless." Nana poured herself a cup of Chai. "Or at least, Peter did."

"Right now, we have Nathan in Odessa. That's the only reason Peter hasn't blown up or taken out the Company. Believe me. He's got a good heart but he's not very bright and he's so easily led. Sylar provoked him into exploding and nearly wiping out New York and Adam fooled him into helping him get to the pandemic strain of the Shanti virus," Bob said.

"Don't forget, Bob. There was a time when Adam had us fooled as well," Nana reminded him. "If it weren't for Kaito and Victoria."

They both mulled over the situation while sipping their tea.

"Nathan is the politician, right?" Nana asked. Bob nodded. "Then, instead of separating them, why not have them work together? Peter's powerful and Nathan can keep him in line. Together, they can achieve far more than their father and Linderman. Right now, both they and you have common goals – the twelve. If they're not stopped soon, we might wake up one morning to find that Iceland is not longer on the map."

"We already have Peter out with Bennet. I wanted Monica and Niki to help us as well," Bob trailed off.

"No, I left the company so I wouldn't drag my family down," Nana shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of curls at the doorway – "Micah!"

Micah peeked out. "I can help," he explained.

"Honey, you're talking nonsense. You've just lost your mother," Nana got up and tried to hold him, but Micah pulled back.

"No, I mean, Mom – I know she would've wanted to help. I'll take her place. This is what I've been waiting for, Nana," Micah said fervently. "I want to help. I'm really good with electronics."

"We need all the help we can get," Bob said, holding out his hand. "I'm sure I can count on you."

"Micah reached out to shake, but Nana stepped in the way. "Absolutely not. He's too young, Bob."

"He won't be in harm's way. I promise," Bob said, resting his hands on her forearm.

"You and your promises, Bob," Nana pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Never hold. Once the situation changes, you look for the easiest way out."

The door opened up and Mohinder and Monica were back.

"What's going on?" Monica asked, taking in Nana's scary face.

"It's nothing," Nana said, squeezing Micah's shoulders. "They were just leaving."

"I'm sorry, Nana," Bob apologized. "I was out of line. Talking with you has helped very much." He stood up. "Good-bye, then. Let's go, Dr. Suresh." Mohinder followed Bob out the door.

Back inside the taxi, Bob asked him, "Did it work?"

Mohinder shook his head, "No, it didn't. I guess there is a point of no return. Either that or there wasn't enough blood. What happened in there?"

"Just as misunderstanding," Bob said, waving a dismissive hand. "Expect Monica and Micah to come by in a few days."

---

Hiro blinked. Ando looked around, confused and looking even sillier by still holding the slowly cooling kettle. Primatech Paper Co.'s employees blinked back. Hiro nervously watched a security guard approached them.

Ando jostled him. "Hiro, what's going on?"

"My powers aren't working," Hiro said numbly. "I'm trying to freeze time, but nothing's happening." Ando's eyes bulged out of their sockets.

"What do you think you're doing here?" the guard asked them. "This is an employee only section."

"Um…Lost?" Hiro smiled uncertainly.

The guard was about to open his mouth, but a dark-skinned man tapped his shoulder. The guard looked up at immediately gave way. The newcomer gestured for the two to follow him.

They rode the elevator down three floors. When the elevator dinged open, they heard a humming noise coming from the glass window towards the middle of the hallway. The man led them down the way.

Falling behind the mysterious man, Hiro peered into the room. If he had paid attention to Ando, he would've seen the man hold a hand over his friend's eyes while Ando flailed the kettle around, trying to hit him It was over in a few seconds when Ando sagged to the floor.

Hiro was more interested in seeing what the people at the controls were doing. It was a control room – he understood that much from the monitors, levers, buttons and dials. Beyond this room, there was another glass window; the room looked empty except for one person. "Flying Man?" He whispered, eyes wide when he caught sight of the spiked wall behind Nathan and the ground thirty feet below him. One of the people at the controls pushed a lever forward and Nathan was pushed back by an unseen force – most likely wind. Nathan looked up and caught Hiro's eyes.

A hand closed over them and –

"Eh?" Hiro blinked at the wall blankly. What was he doing in here? Something told him that time had passed without his knowing. He tried the door. Locked. He tried to teleport. Nothing. "Uh-oh."

---

Seeing the shock register on Hiro Nakamura's face startled him more than it should have. Nathan easily made up every inch he lost while avoiding the sudden onslaught of golf balls they threw at him.

His gut clenched when he saw them move the lever again. The blast of wind increased, pushing him backwards steadily towards the wall of spikes. How fast were they expecting him to go? From the looks on their faces, their machines were closing on their limit. Still, he flew forward easily enough making his way back to the middle of the room. The wind they produced was nothing to him. He wanted to push forward, fly all around and show off - no, he squashed the urge. He didn't want them to know his true potential.

One of them pushed the lever forward again and the other two yelled in surprise. Nathan had a bad feeling things were suddenly out of their control, which meant they may also be out of his control. The one who had pushed the lever tried to pull it back. It must've jammed. The other two tried to help him…and the lever broke off.

Was it just him, or did the wind speed pick up – a lot? He was startled to see that he was just a few feet away from the spikes now. He could see a couple of the golf balls impaled on the tips.

A rattle drew his attention back into the front of the room. He dove just in time to avoid the window that had separated him from the control room. One them was trying to reach the emergency power shut-off box. The one who had jammed the lever was losing his grip.

Let him, Nathan thought. Let him die. No telling what other tests they may have performed on countless others -

The man lost his grip and – from Nathan's tilted view – dropped like a rock towards the spikes.

---

"Remember, Peter," Mr. Bennet said, affixing the visitor's pass on his shirt. "I'm going to find Claire first. While I do that, blend in and look for her. Once you find her, let me now."

"Gotcha," Peter said. He glanced around, made sure no one was looking and went invisible.

Peter remembered seeing lots of green grass…she – Sylvia Orozco – must've been around the football or track field. He felt a sense of disorientation trying to figure out what which way was which until a cheerleader walked by.

"Claire?" He said without thinking.

The girl turned around, very confused. She wasn't Claire. _Oops, wrong person_.

Another cheerleader approached them. "C'mon, we're gonna be late for practice."

Peter sighed in relief and followed the two to the fields and froze. Orozco was there. Out in the open. A woman, probably the cheerleader's instructor was calling the squad over. "Ladies, this is Sylvia Orozco. She's going to be helping us with our routine."

"Hello, everyone," Orozco greeted them all warmly and her eyes picked out one of the cheerleaders. With a sinking feeling, he realized that she was looking at Claire. "I'm sure you're all quite talented."

----

A/N2: If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Be back as soon as I can with another chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes. That belongs to Tim Kring...and I think NBC Universal... and other people that are not me.

A/N: ...I got nothin.

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_No,_ the word echoed in his head. Orozco's head whipped his way and he froze. _What?_ She shouldn't be able to see him. He was still invisible. But his panic subsided when she waved hello to a cheerleader late for practice.

Without taking his eyes off Orozco and Claire, Peter took out the Company-issued phone and speed-dialed Mr. Bennet's phone.

"Have you spotted her, yet?"

"Yeah, she's at the field. Orozco's the new assistant coach," Peter said, still invisible. "Where are you?"

Peter could almost see the shocked expression on Mr. Bennet's face. "I'm on my way to the field," Mr. Bennet said. "I'm trying to figure out where the field is. I haven't been here that often. Meet me under the bleachers and keep an eye on her." With that said, Bennet cut the connection.

Peter flipped the phone shut and ducked behind the bleachers, watching Orozco take Claire aside. Safely hidden from view, he became visible again. He strained his hearing and was surprised to learn that he could hear every word perfectly.

"Is something wrong, Claire?"

"No, it's…it's nothing. Really," Claire managed a tight smile.

"Don't think I don't know that look," Orozco sat Claire and herself on a bench. "I've used it myself a couple of times. C'mon, you can tell me what's wrong." Claire stared at her feet, but she said nothing. "Cuz, right now, all I know is that it must be pretty bad if you're messing up the easiest routines that a lot of the girls can do in their sleep. At least, that's what your coach has been telling me."

Claire swallowed, wringing her hands. Peter switched on Parkman's ability…_I almost lost Dad and now Nathan's been shot. If I had come out and said it first, Nathan wouldn't've gotten hurt. It's all my fault. I could've kept it from happening._ He'd heard enough and switched his hearing back up. Finally, Claire said, "I had a disagreement with my friend."

"Would his name happen to be West?" Orozco smiled.

"HEY."

"Argh!" Peter winced and grabbed his ears, blinking the tears away and lowering his hearing sensitivity.

"I'm sorry," Mr. Bennet said, a look of understanding passing through his face. _Where'd you pick that one up?_, he wanted to ask, but instead, he said, "It's too risky to get her right now. We'll have to wait until practice is over."

Mr. Bennet made a signal to leave, but Peter grabbed his arm. "Shouldn't you go talk to Claire? Warn her?"

Mr. Bennet shook his head. "Orozco might recognize me. I can't take that risk, yet. It's best if we wait," he said firmly and then. "Don't worry. Claire's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

Peter nodded reluctantly and followed Mr. Bennet invisibly out to the parking lot where they left the car. Mr. Bennet tried to start it, but it only whirred and fell silent. _Odd._

"Peter, get out of the car. Listen for my thoughts," Mr. Bennet said, unbuckling his seat belt and stepping out of the car. Peter followed suit and did as instructed. _"Keep an eye out for someone who shouldn't be here,"_ Mr. Bennet said, popping open the hood of the car.

Peter feigned looking into the engine while looking around. Everything looked normal to him. "What's wrong with-" Oh. The engine was no longer recognizable as an engine. Chunks were missing and whatever remained looked like molten metal. "What could have done that?"

"I don't know," Mr. Bennet said. He took out his phone to call for a tow truck "That's weird. I don't have a signal. You? _Not what, Peter. Who. There must be another one of them around here. It's like they were expecting us._"

Peter took his cell phone out and shook his head. "I've got nothing." He looked back up and still saw nothing out of the ordinary, though everything had gone eerily quiet. "Where'd everyone go?"

Mr. Bennet looked up. "Let's go to the office and borrow their phone. _We need to be around people. They won't attack in the middle of a crowd. Go invisible and follow me_."

Peter let himself fade from view and followed Mr. Bennet through the hallways. At the office, a lone secretary looked up with a hesitant smile. "Er, hello, again, Mr. Butler. How can I help you?"

"Funny thing happened," Mr. Bennet grinned embarrassedly. "I think someone may have pulled a prank on my car. The engine's been messed with and I can't seem to get a signal on my phone."

"Oh, that's not possible," the secretary shook his head. "All teachers and students are in the auditorium. The principal found a troupe of actors that can condense a Shakespearean play into an hour and hired them. The students had been dismissed to see the play about ten minutes ago. I'll let you call the tow truck and in the meantime, why don't you go enjoy the show?"

Mr. Bennet nodded and smiled, taking the offered phone. Peter almost laughed at the forced smile on Mr. Bennet's face, until he saw of flash of metal from one of the rooms. Curious, Peter quietly stepped away and peered into what appeared to be a science classroom. A door opened to his left and Peter gaped at a mechanical robot with a large lens, four legs and what may have passed for a brain.

He was still invisible. Could it see him? The robot's lens whirred as if focusing on him.

What was it doing here?

The robot stepped forward like a four-legged spider. He saw car parts behind the lens. Car parts from Mr. Bennet's car.

Peter dashed back to warn Mr. Bennet and nearly ran into Orozco who had stopped by the office and now stood between them.

"Mr. Serway," Orozco smiled at the secretary. "I just wanted to verify one of the cheerleader's excuse for being late. See, she's been late three times already according to the attendance sheet."

"Ah, yes. Vanessa had an orthodontist appointment during her lunch period and her mother dropped her off a bit late," the secretary smiled back.

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Serway."

Mr. Bennet finally placed the phone back on its cradle and Orozco turned to him. "Hi, you look familiar. Are you by any chance Claire's Dad?" She thrust her hand forward.

Mr. Bennet's face remained neutral as he shook it, "Yes, I'm Noah Butler. How's Claire doing?"

"That's what I wanted to call you about, but since you're here, why don't you come to my office and we'll talk in there," Orozco's smile became a look of concern. They walked down another hall towards the locker rooms, Peter following them , keeping an eye out for the robot.

"Is something going on in your family or anything I should be aware of? You see, Claire's been a bit distracted lately and I was worried."

"Well, she did just move here," Mr. Bennet said curtly. "There was also a health scare with her mother a while back, but it's all been taken care of."

"I see, but I think it may be more than that. Oh, here we are," Orozco stopped outside a door and pushed it open. "Come on in and have a seat."

Mr. Bennet hesitated. "I don't know. I just called a tow truck."

"Mr. Serway can handle it," Orozco led him in by the hand and closed the door before Peter could slip past. _Not good._ Peter watched through the window in the door as Orozco flipped the light switch on and quickly passed a hand over Mr. Bennet's eyes and ears. A panicked look came over Mr. Bennet's face as he stood up, holding out his arms in front of him as if he wasn't sure where things were while Orozco grabbed a trophy, brandishing it like a baseball bat.

Peter faded back into visibility and walked through the door, catching the trophy before it hit Mr. Bennet's head. Orozco let got of it and pushed him, surprising Peter. She spun him around and ran a hand down his spine and Peter felt the hairs stand up. Then, it was like he was cut off from the rest of his body, as if he were just a floating head. Panicking, Peter reached out and focused on Mr. Bennet's thoughts.

[/i"Peter?! Where are you? I can't see or hear anything. Try to figure out what she did and undo it!"[/i The last part came in a rush before the message repeated again.

Peter swallowed hard. Was it possible for him to undo what she did to him? He didn't know. Before he could start concentrating on a way to undo the damage, the door opened and Mr. Serway stepped in, giving Peter an odd sense of relief and apprehension. Mr. Bennet was no longer standing still, and he struck out wildly, knocking a punch into Orozco, tripping over Peter and falling against Mr. Serway, whose body fell under Mr. Bennet's weight and revealed a dwarfish man controlling the secretary's movements with a metal device. The dwarf swore.

"About time you got in here, Nemo," Sylvia clocked Mr. Bennet with the dropped trophy. "Help me tie them up and load'em in the trunk."

Nemo nodded and stepped aside to allow four robots to step through, binding and carrying Peter and Mr. Bennet out of the office.

---

Adam sighed. There went his hope of rescue.

"Hah! Fifty bucks! Hand it over!" Moldy grinned like the devil and his arms and hands stretched like taffy to collect his bet from his comrades in the next room. His hand stopped short of Schaffer's glare and it retreated back to its owner.

Schaffer turned to face Adam. "There goes you only 'friend,' Adam. We'll reserve a seat for him right next to you when we start tomorrow."

"Start what?" Adam retorted with as much dignity as he could muster. "You can't hurt me."

"Now, now. Lab rats don't ask questions," Schaffer chuckled. He motioned for Moldy to leave. He turned to Adam one more time, getting up from his seat. "It's going to be a long day for you tomorrow, lab rat. Our local anesthesiologist, as you saw, is away at the moment so I can guarantee that there will be pain." He flicked off the lights.

Adam swallowed hard and closed his eyes. A plan. That's what he needed. He needed to figure out exactly where he was – underground? Above? Still in Japan? (very unlikely) – figure out their routine, play a few mind games, and then, he grimaced, improvise.

The idea of mutilating himself did not appeal to him, immortal though he was. He'd had enough people do it to him over the years and in the coming day. It would help if he had a sharper object than his teeth to cut off his finger.  
-------------

Sylar sat in his new apartment cross-legged, eating a slice of veggie pizza. _Someone's gotta pay. Mohinder? Nah. I'll save him for last. How about that blonde though? Yes, her. She'd had the audacity to attack ME!_ Sylar took a deep breath and unclenched his fingers from the crushed pizza slice. He exhaled.

A dry crackling noise brought his attention to a lone roach making its way through his pile of old newspaper clippings. Disgusted, he squashed it with a thought and froze mid-bite. His hearing sensitivity went up a few notches, allowing him to register the swarm of roaches in his walls and two heartbeats outside his apartment door. One was excited and the other was nervous.

"Now, who could they be?" Sylar asked no one in particular. It was a shame he couldn't see through walls. He stood up and moved towards the door.

Before he'd taken two steps, the roaches burst through the cracks and holes in the walls and swarmed all over him, taking him by surprise. He brushed them off with his telekinesis, but others took their place. Freezing them took too long and radiation only set his coat on fire. In an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, Sylar tried to beat the flames out on the roaches.

As suddenly as they had stormed out, the roaches retreated back to their walls, only this time Sylar found himself with his torso embedded seamlessly in a wall, as if someone had built the wall around him. His feet dangled several inches off the floor. His arms were free from the elbow down. His neck and head stuck out of the wall like someone had buried him in the sand at a beach. _How did…_ He looked up just in time to see a fist crash into his nose.

"He's still conscious," a female voice said. "Hit him again."

BAM! Sylar could feel knuckles squishing his eyeball. His head swam and he was contemplating playing dead when the door was kicked open.

"Freeze! This is the police. Keep your hands where I can see them!"

Sylar opened his left eye – his good eye – and he almost giggled. It was the cop who'd shot at him in Kirby Plaza – what was his name? Parkman? – and the blonde lightning girl was with him. They'd come to his rescue.

Come to think of it, who were his attackers? Sylar shifted focus and saw two other people, one male with some sort of device strapped to his forearm and the other must be the female, though it was hard to tell under the coat, the Halloween mask, and the hat.

"Sorry," the man said in a thick Indian accent. He turned a knob on the device and the walls suddenly felt like liquid. Sylar heard Parkman and the blonde yelp in surprise. At the same time, Sylar could feel himself being hauled down from the wall by many, many tiny feet…_Ugh…Roaches_.

But this was his chance to get out of there. Sylar shook off the dizziness and roaches as best as he could. He saw the woman make a grab for him and he threw her back with his telekinesis. Oddly enough, he noticed that the few roaches that clung to him seemed stunned and fell away, all that before his feet hit the floor and he began sinking through it as if the wooden floorboards were quicksand. _Too much,_ he thought. There was too much going on for him to make sense of anything! He looked up to see how his would-be rescuers were faring.

The blonde had found a temporary reprieve on a sofa while Parkman was up to his knees in the floor. Parkman fired a round and managed to hit the device.

"Argh!" The man gasped as the thing short-circuited. The floor, Sylar realized while scrambling onto a coffee table, was becoming less fluid, almost clay-like in consistency now.

"Elle! Do something!" Parkman shouted, still sinking further down. The blonde shot a bolt of electricity at the device, knocking it off the man's arm.

Just then the floor hardened back into solid wood once more. Had it been the device? He looked at the man, searching with his intuitive aptitude for the tell-tale sign of mutations, but found none. The man was _normal_. The only other possible explanation was that the ability came from the device.

"Laura! Get us out of here!" The man barked.

The woman had stumbled to her feet; the roaches had kept her above the floor, and she threw her arm around her comrade. Sylar watched in sick fascination as they turned into a swarm of roaches and disappeared through the cracks in the walls, under doors and between the window and the ledge. The device. The man was nothing without his device. Sylar opened his hand and beckoned the device, which leapt up at his command.

Zap! The bolt of lightning forced it aside midway to Sylar's hand and into Parkman's gut.

"Oh, no you don't, mister!" It was the girl, Elle. She hopped down from the sofa, shooting another bolt at him.

Could he force lightning away with telekinesis? Sylar didn't want to risk finding out just yet. He threw himself over to the side…he saw a bit too late that Parkman thought ahead of the situation for a change and swung a small table that had held a phone forward. Sylar's temple connected with a corner of the table and his head began throbbing painfully. He moaned and turned over.

"What are you waiting for, Parkman? Cuff him already!" Elle stepped towards Sylar to get a better look at him. "He doesn't look so scary in person."

"Elle, I'm stuck here," Parkman said, annoyed. "And I think the old lady downstairs just took my shoes. You do it yourself."

Sylar felt himself losing consciousness. He couldn't keep it up anymore. He heard the pair of handcuffs exchange hands and then he heard her say, "My pleasure."

As he slipped into darkness, he thought to himself, _Elle, yes, she'll be first._

---

As the man flew by, Nathan saw the terror on his face. _He was only doing his job_, his conscience explained. _Funny_, he thought, _it sounded like Peter._ Against his initial decision, Nathan flew back and caught the man by his ankle, his face a foot away from a spike.

With increasing wind speed and the weight of another man, Nathan found himself having to fight to gain any distance (or maybe it was just him and the fact that a life was depending on him). He was about a third of the way across the room when the lights went out and the wind speed dropped at a steady pace until it hit zero. Nathan adjusted his speed accordingly, causing the man, now hanging upside down, to whimper. This was his chance to get out. Nathan sped toward the control room, depositing the man on the floor just as the lights came back on. Nathan bolted for the door and ran.

_But what about Hiro?_ There was that conscience again, this time accompanied by images of the round-faced Japanese man. He couldn't just leave him here, just like he couldn't let the man die.

Should he go left down the hall where they took Hiro or turn right towards the elevator?

Nathan turned left and smashed headfirst into an invisible barrier, falling backwards onto his back. _What?_ He sat up, rubbing his nose and stared in disbelief at a rather plump and elderly woman laughing behind him. There were clicks of firearms getting ready to fire to her left. The same three men he'd left behind now trained their guns on him, though one of them did it reluctantly.

"Put those away," the woman said in a grandmotherly tone. "I'll take him from here." The three men hesitated, but went back into the control room, presumably to fix and salvage what they could. "You must be Nathan," she said the light of laughter still in her eyes. She held out a hand to help him up. "I saw your brother a while back. Mr. Bennet warned me that something like this could happen. I thought I'd come down and check up on you."

She walked past the spot where Nahtan had been stopped short and beckoned him forward. "Trust me, it's perfectly alright."

Nathan looked doubtful, but stepped forward anyway and found nothing barring his way. "Was it you who put up that wall?"

"Yes," she nodded. "You had that panicked look on your face. I needed to stun some sense back into you. I'm Mildred by the way, Mr. Bennet's secretary."

"Aren't you afraid I'll hurt you or run away?" Nathan asked, not moving a step further..

"I can make a wall faster than you can turn around," she said. Nathan decided not to push his luck and followed reluctantly. "Besides, I'm taking you to see your friend. That's why you turned this way, wasn't it?"

Mildred stopped suddenly. "We need your help," she said without a trace of humor.

Nathan almost walked into her. "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Bennet… bless his soul," Midlred smiled warmly again and Nathan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "He tries not to let me know he's worried, but I can see it. And when he's worried, that means the Company is in trouble. That and I just got word from Bob, the regional manager, that he'd like to make you and your friends an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

"He wants to give you a position in his company." Mildred began walking again.

"Are you joking?" But Nathan could believe it. What better way to keep his silence? He shook his head. He was tired of this game – tired of cleaning up whatever mess this Company made and he certainly didn't want his children cleaning up whatever mess he'd made… _My sons_, he thought back on the last time he'd seen them through iron bars. _I promised them I'd be back._

He took one step forward and found himself not where he expected to be.

Did he pass out or was he hallucinating. He pinched himself, "Ouch!" Okay, he was definitely awake.

He looked up and down the corridor and found that it looked exactly like the one he'd just been following Mildred in, except that there were holes in the walls and floor, it was dark save for a flickering light bulb here and there, the elevator door had been pulled apart and wires hung about like disemboweled intestines.

_What happened?_

He turned around to the direction he'd initially been facing and a familiar face looked back at him. "Peter? Are you doing this?"

---

"This is a bad idea, Micah." Monica helped him unload a suitcase from the taxi's trunk anyway. "It's not too late to turn around."

"Monica, they need our help," Micah said with a confidence that she couldn't shake. "I hacked into their computer. He left a message for me. He told me where to look."

"Who?" She went up to the driver's window to pay the cabby and watched regretfully as it pulled away.

"Bob – the guy who came to see Nana," Micah said simply. "I looked over the files. They were authentic and they're seriously short-handed." He hesitated and said, "My friend told me that it could end up being a massacre if we don't do something. There's only twelve of them on the other side right now. They're working on eliminating resources and potential threats, which means that the company will be the first to go down if they win."

"And you're implying that we could be next?"

"Kind of. There's a lot more of us out there than we know. We haven't been trained, so we're more of a secondary threat."

They walked into the lobby of the building and suddenly felt out of place among the suits in their jeans and T-shirts.

"Micah!" A young girl about Micah's age ran up to meet them from an office, giving Micah a hug before pulling back, looking embarrassed.

"Monica?" Mohinder and a Hispanic woman followed Molly out. They all stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before the Hispanic woman cleared her throat.

"Hello," she said shyly. "My name is Maya." She offered Monica her hand and they shook. She shook hands with Micah as well.

It gave Mohinder time to recover and he said, "Um, well. Bob told me to expect you, but I wasn't expecting you this soon. Please, follow me." He gave them a reassuring smile. "Molly, why don't you take Maya up to the eighteenth floor to see Dr. Proctor and then wait for Matt down here?"

"Okay," Molly said and took Maya's hand, leading her to the elevator.

Mohinder, Micah, and Monica rode another elevator up to the 27th floor where they met with Bob in a computer lab.

"Thank you so much for coming," Bob said shaking Micah's hand. "There's been a breach in the firewalls and some files have disappeared. I was wondering if you could fix them for us. There are much more that can be taken and the people under our protection could be endangered. I'd show you where you'll be staying first, but things are hectic."

Micah nodded and began typing away on the keyboard. Seconds later, he stopped typing and placed his hand on the computer's CPU. "This could take awhile," he said. "I've asked for some help from a friend of mine. She could communicate through wireless connections."

Bob nodded. "I know her." He patted Micah's shoulder and motioned for Mohinder and Monica to follow him. "Now, I know this is a bit sudden, but I need you two to work together."

Monica had a bad feeling about this. Sure, Bob was a nice enough man – but the lies he'd told to cover up her earlier disappearance, his influence on Micah's wanting to be here, and now an "assignment" without proper training – she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive towards him.

"I want you to bring this person in," Bob said, fishing out a file from beneath his desk. He opened the file to reveal several documents and a photo of a youngish looking man with forgettable features. "His name is Isam Drachenberg. He has the ability to be in two places at once. We're not yet sure how. Molly helped us locate one of him in Manhattan and his other one is somewhere in France. Familiarize yourself with his profile." Bob swept the file up and handed them to Mohinder along with two Company-issue guns, a tranquilizer gun, and a cell phone for Monica.

"Are you crazy?" Mohinder gaped at his boss. "I barely have any field experience."

Monica wanted to protest too, but this man had helped her before and she didn't want to be rude.

"You'll do fine, Mohinder," Bob rested a firm hand on Mohinder's shoulder. "You know the drill now and I'm sure Monica is more than capable of handling herself." He gave them a smile. "Now let's get going. No telling if Isam will be on the move soon."

He ushered them to the parking lot and tossed Mohinder the keys to a car. "Try to keep it in good condition," Bob said and left them to their assignment.

"I'm sorry about all this," Mohinder said. "I don't normally go out into the field. I'm just a researcher." He hit the unlock button on the remote and got into the car.

"Well, Micah's told me that you're short-handed," Monica said helpfully as she sat in the passenger seat. "So how exactly do we do this?"

"The address should be in there," Mohinder pointed to the file and started the engine. Monica fished out the post-it note with an address and gave it to him. "That's not far from here. Why don't you read about Isam Drachenberg while I drive?"

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A/N2: Well, there you have it, Peter and HRG are screwed and Adam becomes a lab rat. Nathan... not so sure right now. Matt's stuck in between two floors and ... yeah. Sylar got knocked out by a table, Mohinder and Monica are sent off to find another one. That's about seven or eight new characters... I don't like OCs...but they're necessary in order to move the story along.


	6. Chapter 61

A/N1: Thanks to those who have reviewed so far. :D Even those of you who take the time to read this. I'm sorry about the delay in getting the next part to you. I've started school again, and then my adapter broke (got a new one now). I've gotten back into writing, but it seems that I only am able to write when I'm being pressured to do something else (supposed to be studying for my virology midterm). Anyways, this chapter's a real biggie for me. I think this might be the first time I ever make it to posting beyond 5 parts to a multi-chaptered story. Also, this is technically the first half of the chapter. I've noticed that it' been growing longer and longer, so... I thought it might be better if I broke it up into chunks. Hope you guys don't mind.

Disclaimer: Heroes does not belong to me. Heroes belongs to Tim Kring, and I think NBC. I'm making no money off of this.

So here it is, finally: Part 6.1:

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The bright light hurt - even through his eyelids. For the first time since they locked him in his cell, he was aware of two other people in the room with him. One of them spoke to him.

"Hello, Sylar," the hazy, looming figure looked down at him. Her… yeah…he was certain it was female… her voice echoed in his drugged mind.

"Whra…what do you want from me?" Sylar slurred, his tongue thick in his mouth.

"My name is Angela and I have a proposal to make," she leaned forward and her face came into sharp focus. "How would you like to be the leader of the most powerful country in the world?"

Sylar chuckled in reply. The thought had crossed his mind more than once before. "What do I have to do?"

Angela smiled down at him, radiating a kind of maternal pride - something his own mother rarely did. "All you have to do is listen to me and do as I say. Can I trust you to do that?"

At that moment, he hated the fact that he wasn't in control of the situation. He hated that she controlled his fate now and if he agreed, he would be her willing puppet. In actuality he was very much interested in her proposal and that smile… it made him want to _please_ her. He was disgusted with himself, but he couldn't help it. He smiled. After he got what he wanted, he would dispose of her. Yes, that would work, but still, he asked, "What reason do I have to trust you?" 

Angela nodded to the other hazy figure in the room and he gradually felt the haze lift. He blinked and undid the straps that held him down with his telekinesis. He sat up.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," Sylar grinned mischievously at her. "Yes, we do have a deal."

---

"Peter? Are you doing this?" Well, he looked like Peter, a little older and tired, but it was him. He stood like Peter.

"Yeah," he said and gave a weak, lopsided smile. Yep, it was the classic Peter smile. "We need to talk."

"About what exactly?" Nathan said, looking around. "And where am I?"

"You're standing in one of Primatech's facilities, right behind where Mildred was standing," Peter answered him and motioned for Nathan to follow. As he led Nathan to the elevator, he said, "I think what you really want to know is when you are. You're standing in next year, Nathan, and if we don't do something about what happens, there isn't much of a future to look forward to." Peter placed his hand on the elevator door and the battered doors parted. He took a confident step in and Nathan followed, although more hesitant. The elevator went up. "A few months back, Sylar came into power. He's become the President of the United States. You remember who Sylar is, don't you?"

"You might've mentioned him once before the explosion, but other than that, no," Nathan admitted. He was curious. He remembered Peter telling him in the parking lot that it might not be he who would explode but another man named Sylar. That had confused him.

"Save the cheerleader, save the world. He was going to kill Claire. I stopped him. He tried to kill me a couple of times, but it didn't turn out very well for him." The elevator stopped and opened. Peter motioned for Nathan to follow him out and Nathan complied. "He's been after people like us ever since he found out about people with abilities. He kills people to take their abilities from them. He's become powerful. Almost as powerful as me," Peter said, his voice sounding harsher than usual. "You need to keep that from happening." Peter held a door open and motioned for Nathan to step through.

Outside was a mess. It looked as if a rough storm had blown through and thunderclouds still loomed overhead. A few buildings were on fire. Lightning streaked from the sky, heading straight for a firetruck. Peter countered the strike with a bolt of his own. A face formed from the clouds and stared right at Peter.

"Not good," a look of panic crossed Peter's face. 

The face was lost as the clouds rumbled and roiled, then elongated at a point, as if holding onto the dark figure dropping from the sky. "What's going on?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. He didn't like where this was heading. "How am I suppose to stop this Sylar?"

Peter threw three bolts of lightning at the approaching figure and pulled Nathan back inside the building and closed the door. He led Nathan down the stairs and into a room full of firearms. "Before I brought you here, Mildred offered you a position in the Company. I want you to take up her offer. The only way to neutralize the enemy is to take over them. That's what Sylar did."

"Wait, Sylar used the Company to help him gain Presidency?" Nathan felt anger and jealousy rise up, but they quickly disappeared as he thought of the consequences that it would have entailed if he did as he was told.

"Yeah. The nation needed a leader after the Twelve broke free. I wasn't much of a leader, but Sylar… Sylar knew how to talk to people, kind of like you. He gained trust and people followed him." Peter screwed up his face, another thought on his mind. He reached into his coat pocket and handed Nathan an envelope. "Don't open it now. Only open it when things get really bad and there's no way it's going to get better, okay? Promise me."

Nathan reached out for it, but Peter held back. "Promise me first. Promise me you'll take the job, stop Sylar and don't open the letter until it's absolutely necessary."

"Sure, Pete. I promise," Nathan looked at him curiously. Peter handed him the letter just as the boom of thunder sounded overhead.

"You gotta go now. That's one of Sylar's agents coming after me. If he catches you, there' no hope," Peter shoved Nathan forward… and Nathan no longer found himself standing next to Peter. Instead, he found himself right where he was supposed to be - walking behind Mildred in the hallway, the only trace of his future brother was the envelope in his hand. He tucked it away in the waistband of his pants and pulled the shirt over it.

"I most certainly am not joking, Nathan," Mildred said without turning around. Nathan padded forward and kept pace with her. "The company has much to offer its members. If I recall correctly, the higher ups at one point wanted to make you President. So, do you still want to join or not?"

Nathan sighed. He didn't like it, but he'd promised Peter. "I guess, I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"Welcome to the Company, Mr. Petrelli," Mildred smiled back at him. She opened a door and there lay Hiro Nakamura with a needle in his arm. "I'm sure you can convince your friend to help us too."

Nathan had a bad feeling about this situation, but what else could he do? 

---

Peter watched as Nathan faded into his own time. The scene abruptly changed from its gloomy rundown interior into a large, empty room. A crash from the door, then a spray of blood hit Peter's face as Sylar made quick work of disposing of the latest rebel.

"How'd he break in?" Peter asked him. "I wasn't finished yet."

"Hey, I'm not perfect you know," Sylar growled at him. "He distracted the guards with a freak flash flood and came in through the vents. I was trying to keep up the illusion as best as I could. If yelling at me is your way of saying thanks, I might reconsider take your head off. Permanently." Sylar grinned maniacally. "I have to admit though. You've got guts there, setting your brother up to take the fall."

Peter said nothing, his eyes downcast.

"Aww, don't be that way, Pete," Sylar grinned. "Just look at it this way: Your brother would never know you planned to betray him. Even if he did, it would be too late. It's for the best. Nathan's blind campaign to stop me at all cost gave me a platform to stand on and take leadership. You made him like you. Always trying to do the right thing, but only end up making things worse."

CRACK! Sylar's head whipped back.

"Just because you helped stop the Twelve doesn't mean you're any better than the rest of us," Peter spat and walked away.

---

Nana Dawson was upset. She had made Damon help her search the house, the school and any other place she could think of, hoping they hadn't left town, but they were nowhere to be seen. Grumbling to herself, she climbed out of the taxi and walked towards the building in Kirby Plaza that she swore she would never set foot in ever again.

The instant she set foot in the building, she began attracting stares and people began whispering. There was a crowd by the elevators and the all parted to make room for her. No one questioned her presence. If she hadn't been so angry, she would have laughed at the sight. They must have all heard what she was capable of doing.

The first elevator going up was full of people. They immediately vacated the tiny metal box as she stepped in. She pushed a button and the elevator zoomed up, as if sensing her fury.

Once she got off, the floor was deserted, save for two familiar voices in conversation to her right. She opened the door.

SLAP!

Angela looked slightly amused while Bob gaped openly at Nana Dawson, his cheek coloring itself red in the imprint of Nana's hand. "You had no right!" Nana hissed at him. "Now tell me where they are and don't deny that they're here." 

"Nana, they came of their own free will," Bob answered her, standing up and catching Nana's wrist as she reached up to slap him again.

"Then what about my sons, Bob," Angela said. "They didn't come to you in their own free will. You issued that order for Nathan to be taken down, then you keep him alive to use him as leverage against Peter. Now the Twelve are on the loose and not a single one has been recaptured. You're slipping, Bob."

"Nathan was about to expose the Company and undo thirty years of hard work and secrecy. You understood that," Bob's voice rose. "What else could I have done?"

"You could have let him have his say," Nana said, withdrawing her hand. "You could always cover up what he says. Shooting him only vindicated him. Now, tell me where Micah and Monica are."

"Micah is a few floors down, helping build up a firewall and encrypt the files that remain from being taken by people who shouldn't see them," Bob said, taking a seat.

"And Monica?"

"She's…out on assignment with Dr. Suresh," Bob ducked back as Nana's fingernails lashed out at him, suddenly sharp as needle-points. 

"Now, now, Nana," Angela placed a hand on her arm. "I know how you feel about this."

"Call her and tell her to come back now," Nana said, ignoring Angela.

"I'm sorry," Bob said. "You know I can't do that. It's Company policy."

"As the head of the Company, you have the authority to override minor policies." Nana reached for his cell phone - her fingernails no longer sharp points, but Bob backed away, taking his cell phone in hand.

"That's true, Nana, but telling Monica to come back won't help her situation - it might even put her in danger. You know the reason why that policy was made as well as I do. One phone call nearly ended your husband's life - it gave his position away," Angela reasoned. "What would help you is to stay calm and I think it may benefit us all if we discuss a few changes around here."

"What kind of changes?" Nana narrowed her eyes as Bob radiated a silent aura of anger and disappointment. She had never truly trusted Angela and she had no reason to start now.

"Well that has recently transpired is beyond Bob's leadership capabilities," Angela said. "I propose a new head of Company. Someone who knows how things work - how things should work."

"You?" Nana scoffed. "All you were ever good at was pulling strings behind your husband's back."

"No," Bob said quietly. "She wants Sylar to head the Company." 

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A/N 2: And there's the first half of part 6. Now to study (yeah... right...).


End file.
